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Show '1(r'irniiu'.ii ).ji jr nr liwurni gur- - mUll nimtfr inn wir jrwnwi itun yy , WEDNESDAY, September 18, 1985 Vernal, Utah 84078 93rd Year No. 75 28 Pages Single Copy 25 Population are filters r i i Editors Note: This is the first article in a series to assess what is happening to the local economy. By Steven Wallis Express News Editor What may seem like a mass exit of people out of Ashley Valley due to a deflated economy, is just not so, according to counts by utilities and government agencies. Recently the Uintah School District released a preliminary total for school enrollment of 72 more students than a year ago which has created some class size problems. Class sizes are larger than they have been in the past. The district is working to resolve these problems as soon as possible. However, a voted leeway tax is being looked at as a long-tersolution to lowering the ratio in the district. It is hoped that enrollment will remain stable and not decrease as it has in the past four years. Last year pupil-teach- mmovomig flmg there was a decrease of 293 students form the end of the first quarter to the end of the fourth quarter.' is enrollment Transitionally, highest at the beginning of the year and decreases as the year progresses. U.S. Postal services count of vacant residences in Ashley Valley show that from 7 to 12 percent are vacant. However, we received about 30 changes of addresses per day, said Lloyd Lemon, U.S. Postal Service. Figures from Utah Power and Light verify about the same rate of vacancy. Currently there are about 420 of the 8,308 power connections that are showing no usage. This does not include connections which have been taken out about the same number. I don't think the town is showing a great loss in population, said Planner Bob Nicholson, he being one of those who is moving. Nicholson has submitted his resignation and will start employ City-Count- y Frame found guilty of 2nd degree murder A six man, two women jury took only an hour of deliberation to find Melvin Dean Frame guilty of 2nd degree murder in the stabbing death of Charles (Huck) Bovee on July 8 of this year. The trial of the Colorado man began Thursday, Sept. 12 at about 10 a.m. following the selection and seating of the jury and ended Friday at 4 p m. Uintah County Attorney twelve Nash Mark presented witnesses for the prosecution while defense attorney, Lance T. Wilkerson had only the defendant testify in his own behalf. Among the prosecution witnesses were Vernal City Police officers, exthe State Crime from perts Laboratory, and individuals who where at the scene of the stabbing. The strongest witness was Emanuel Randy Shafer who had spent several days with the victim and the defendant prior to the murder. Shafers testimony included incidents leading up to the stabbing, the nature of the relationship between the victim and the defendant and what occured at the scene. Both Frame and Shafer testified about a spree of several days of drinking, camping' and partying with the victim, Bovee, and another companion, William James Otto. Shafer became invloved with the other men when they picked him up outside of Denver near Idaho Springs where he was hitchhiking. Frame said he, Otto and Bovee were on their way to Grand Junction to repair and move a van. When the men finally arrived in Vernal they visited several bars and also looked up some of Bovees friends. After purchasing liquor, they spent some time at the Gateway Lounge where Bovee became upset with Frame because some stolen sleeping bags were placed in his truck, and he had Frame put them back in the truck they were taken from. Later the men left the bar and headed west out of Vernal. Bovee reportedly arguing with Otto who was in the front of the truck with him. As the argument heated up, Bovee pulled into the parking lot of the Yellow Front Store where he and Otto got out and began to fight. Both Shafer and Frame were riding in the rear of the truck. When Frame saw the men fighting, he jumped from the truck and became involved in the fray. The testimony from the witnesses had some slight variation at this point. Frame said he was kicked in the upper body and head and was stunned, and when he began to recover, he realized Bovee had been stabbed. Shafer said he did not see Frame get kicked. Other witnesses accounts said that two men were tussling on the ground. Two other men were near them and appeared to be separating the pair and soon the fight seemed to be over. It was at about this point that Bovee began to go down, and he vein. staggered to the edge of the road. No one testified that they had seen Frame stab Bovee. Frame said that he went to Bovee and took his hand and told him to get up but then he realized he was hurt bad. Otto, in the meantime, had Jumped into Bovees truck and hollered at Frame and Shafer to get in so they could get away. Frame joined Otto and they drove toward Roosevelt. They were arrested west of Vernal within a few minutes. Shafer remained at the scene and attemped to help Bovee. Otto did not testify at the trial although he was subpoenaed as a witness. Following the attorneys closing statements and the reading of instructions to the jury by district judge Richard C. Davidson, the jury went into deliberation. Frame will be sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 8 in Seventh District Court. Sim ment in St. George in the Community Development office by Oct 7. There are many people who are moving, but there are a lot coming into town, Nicholson said. Vernal is known for its cycles which are greatly determined by the oil industry. Right now oil and gas is down so we may be losing some. However, Vernals situation is not as bad as Price and Moab. When the coal mines shut down or Uranium is down these cities shut down, Nicholson said. In Uintah County, Chevrons is strong, and has been strengthen by improvements in its phosphate operations, said Nicholson. Chevron is currently constructing two pipelines, a C02 and phosphate slurry line from near Rock Springs, Wyo. to the Brush Creek operation in Uintah County and the Rangely Oil Field in Colorado. Another big boost to the economy will be the construction of the second unit to the Bonanza Power Plant. The addition is several years away, but Nicholson said it is looking better because it would reduce the cost of operating the plant. Geokinetics Seep Ridge Project looks like sure bet, Nicholson said. The county is currently assessing resources to pave the road to the Seep Ridge Project which recently received backing from the Synthetic Fuels Corporation of $164 million in loan and price guarantees. Other projects which may boost the economy are the construction of a new U.S. Post Office. Bids were opened for th project last week. Also the construction of the new high school will continue along with the remodeling of Uintah High School. These projects however do not make up for a deflated residential and commercial construction during the boom years, but they may carry some over until the cycle starts turning up. Things just are not what they were three years ago, one contractor said, who is closing business and going in with another firm. .4 , ADDITION to the Ashley Valley Medical Center is one of the few commercial construction projects currently in the Vernal area. Commercial construction has dropped off substantially since a decline in oil and gas activity. Federal overweight flags phosphate operation Chevron Resources Company's Vernal Phosphate Operations is seeking local support to influence the Utah Department of Transportation to pursue Federal Department of Transportation approval to extend Chevrons overweight permit on JL'teh highways C For nearly 20 years the Vernal " phosphate operations has been trucking phosphate under an overweight permit. This permit allows trucks to carry a gross weight of 60 tons instead of the normal 40 ton load. Without the overweight permit it would take three trucks to carry the load of two trucks, explained Harold Alexander, manager of the Vernal Hatchco truck fleet that hauls phosphate ore from Vernal to Phoston and Garfield. It has been reported that the Federal Department of Transportation is now planning to revoke Chevron's overweight permit at the end of the year. The Utah Department of transportation faces the possibility of losing federal funds if it does not comply with the federal regulation. Chevron will not have its new fertilizer plant at Rock Spring, Wyo. on line until some time after June 1986. A slurry line will then ' transport Vernal phosphate to the new plant and the trucking haul will no longer be needed. The problem lies in the period between the first of the year and when the new slurry line is in operation. This is the period Chevron is asking for an extension of its overweight permit. Chevron cannot shut off its customers on Jan. 1 and retain them when the new plant is finished six months later, officials say. The added transportation cost would amount to around $800,000 if smaller loads are required during the period. h h The Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce approved a letter at its Tuesday noon meeting to be sent to all area, state and federal officials asking for support in seeking the extension of Chevrons overweight permit for six months. Uintah County Commissioners will likely approve a letter in its meeting next Monday. Chevron employs about 200 persons rJ Diminish Uintah County's tax potential, and the commissioners are bound to take notice. BOND REFUNDING is explained by Richard and Kimball Young, Beotcher and Company as Uintah County Commissioner yrce Caldwell weighs the benefits of such actioii. County seeks to recoup funds by refunding hospital bonds The Uintah County Commission authorized bonding underwriters Boetcher & Company, Inc. Monday to pursue refunding of county general obligation hospital bonds. The refunding of the bonds would save the county $56,563.33 under a refunding schedule set for November of 1985. The refunding will guarantee the repayment of the original bonds under an escrow account. The bonds are reissued at slightly higher interest rate and an accelerate repayment. The acceleration will mean an m Ken-neco- h Naples, county look to solve legal conflict turn jut; in the Vernal area and the mining operation could have never continued without the overweight hauling permit, according to Chevron and its predecessors experience. At the Phoston facility north of Heber City the phosphate product is transferred to rail where it is shipped to Trait, British Columbia. Other problems encountered by Chevron is the shutdown of the Copper Mine which has halted the cheap supply of sulfric acid used at the Garfield plant. The acid supply now costs about four times more than the Kennecott supply. Still another problem is the new highway bridge law that will require overloads to be spread over 94 feet in length This would require a second trailer or pup which would take 6,000 pounds off the hauling capacity of the units Because of the economic impact. Chevron has on the local economy, the Vernal Chamber is supporting Chevron in its bid for a overweight permit extension The decision will probably be up to the Federal Department of Transportation and the influence the UDOT and other political bodies can give for a federal regulation reprieve due to the economic hardship the cancellation of the special permit would cause. jf added expenditure of $8,000 the first year. Now is an excellent time to refund bonds, said Kimball Young, BoeNew tax tcher & Company, Inc. restructuring being proposed to Congress may do away with refunding all together." The refunding will not save the county any revenue on the repayment of the bonds until the final payment in 1993. In 1978 Uintah County bonded for $1 65 million for the construction of a new Uintah County Hospital The principal still due on the bond $1 315 million. Commissioner Thom Monday Wardell and Byrce Caldwell authorized Boetcher to prepare the documents for the refunding. The final decision and pay back schedule for the refunded bonds will be considered at a later commission meeting. "The commission can still back out of the refunding at that time." said Kimball Young The county will will not pay any direct costs to the underwriter for refunding the bonds, the underwriters are allow to add their cost to the new bonds w hen they are sold. I, In the case of the City of Naples Redevelopment Agency, the commissioners filed suit challenging the redevelopment. As originally adopted in March of 1983. the redevelopment project area included about 589 acres stretching as far north as 500 South. Any increase in taxes from future development in the redevelopment area would go to the agency and not to county entities The county questions the term blighted" which was used to describe the area in the redevelopment district. The reasons for the countys challenge of the formation of the redevelopment district have now faded, and the county and Naples City Council which comprise most of the members of the redevelopment agensettlecy, are seeking an ment. The Uintah County Commission approved a stipulation Monday which would resolve the law suit and allow Naples to form a smaller redevelopment agency of about 100 acres. The county commission approved rt S the stipulation contingent on the Naples Redevelopment agency approving the stipulation written by both sides' attorneys. Mayor Lawrence Kay said the agency members disagreed with the stipulation in two areas The stipulation does not allow Naples to receive taxes for 1983. Mayor Kay contends the agency is entitled to the 1983 taxes, however, county officials say those taxes have already been distributed The county would be forced to pay every entitys share, since the 1983 taxes were not held in escrow, Commissioner Thom Wardell said Taxes in question were held by the county in an escrow account for the next year. The reason why the escrow account was not set up in 1983 is because the agency was not officially recorded" by the 1983 year, said Dorothy Luck, county recorder. The stipulation set 1982 as the base year for the area, so any increase in valuation to the area from that year, will result in revenue for the redevelopment agency. The Naples agency evaluated its concerns about the stipulation, ft , |